Ross King Pipe Organ

Specifications,History, and Construction of St. Michael the Archangel Pipe Organ

The Organ at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church

Garland, Texas

The organ was built in two installments. The Great, Positiv, and Pedal were completed in 2004.
The Swell was added in 2006, including adding to the original pipe case and adding a 3
rd manual to the console.

Wind for blowing the pipes is generated by a ¾ h.p. centrifugal blower. Wind pressure is regulated so that Great and Positiv pipes are blown at a constant wind pressure measured at 3½” water column (approx. 1/10 lbs per square inch). Swell wind pressure is 4½”. The lowest bass notes are generated synthetically. The Zimbelstern is a set of 8 small bells.

The First Installment, Great, Positiv, and Pedal, provided the meat and potatoes of a musical meal. The Second Installment, the Swell department, added musical appetizers (lovely soft stops) and dessert (an exciting Trumpet), plus basic stops especially useful for accompanying the choir singers.

Planning the organ

First, we looked at the space and the acoustics of the room. In this case, the room was beautiful and functional, the signs of a creative architect, but there was no immediately obvious place for the organ pipes. The church and the architect, Ed Stefoniak, responded by building an elevated platform high for the pipes on the east wall above the choir singers.

Second, we evaluated the room’s acoustics. The fact of a sloping ceiling and no parallel surfaces meant a short reverberation time. The fact of wall-to-wall carpet meant inhibited congregational singing. The church responded by replacing the carpet with a beautiful non-absorbent tile floor.

Third, we evaluated the church’s resources and musical usage, wishes, and needs. For St. Michael, this meant a small budget, a large worshipping congregation – about 2,500 in attendance each weekend; two organists of towering ability, training, musicianship, originality, taste, and love for not only the church and its people but its music; a well-trained choir singing a large variety of music in all styles; a particular interest in German Baroque organ music, especially chorale preludes and fugues of the 17th and early 18th centuries; and lively congregational singing.

Next, our firm, in conjunction with the priest, chose a list of stops (sets of pipes). Our firm then designed the mechanism and, in consultation with Mr. Stefoniak, the cabinet to be placed on the wall to hold the pipes.

Our next job was to decide the diameter, type of metal, and shape of each pipe. The cabinet, mechanism, and pipes were then built to those dimensions.

Voicing – adjusting the loudness and tone color of each pipe – took more time than usual. Although the distribution of the sound of the organ in the room is excellent, certain places in the room respond to sound in different ways, especially to low notes. The geometry of the ceiling and the location of the organ mean some people are closer to the pipes than usual. The priest, Fr. James Sharp, PhD, the Director of Music, Wesley Beal, MM, and the choir helped in the listening and voicing process.

Voicing the Great pipes inside the case

After hearing the organ in use, we decided to have new pipes built to different dimensions for certain of the ranks to take better advantage of the room’s acoustics with the new floor.